Credit: Blizzard Entertainment
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World of Warcraft: Forever overhauls racial abilities and adds new class combinations
October 8, 2026·3 min read
Blizzard is reshaping character creation before launch with two active and two passive racials per race, plus six new class pairings.
Blizzard is making major changes to playable races in World of Warcraft: Forever, with every race receiving redesigned racial abilities ahead of the game's November 4 launch. The new system gives each race two active and two passive abilities while trying to keep their individual strengths intact.
The changes arrive alongside six new race and class combinations and the introduction of the Skyborne, a new playable race available to both factions. Blizzard says additional combinations could also be added through future updates.
Every race gets four racial abilities
Blizzard has reworked racial abilities so each playable race receives two active abilities and two passive bonuses. The studio says the offensive value of the different races has been brought closer together without removing the utility that makes each one feel different.
Dwarves provide one example of the new approach. Stoneform still removes and protects against Bleed, Poison and Disease effects, but it now reduces physical damage instead of increasing Armor, making the ability useful across more classes.
Their Mace Specialization now increases critical strike chance for spells and abilities while using a mace. Dwarves also receive Big Game Hunter, which increases damage against Beasts, while Find Treasure can remain active alongside other tracking abilities.
Undead abilities are also changing
Undead characters will see several notable adjustments. Will of the Forsaken still removes Charm, Fear and Sleep effects, but it no longer provides temporary immunity after removing them.
Cannibalize will now restore Mana as well as Health, making it more useful for classes that depend heavily on spellcasting. A new passive called Touch of the Grave can also drain life from enemies when damaging attacks and abilities are used.
Other races are receiving their own redesigned abilities, with Blizzard continuing to adjust individual traits during the beta. Some details could therefore change again before the November launch.
Six new race and class combinations are coming
World of Warcraft: Forever also loosens several long-standing race and class restrictions. Humans can become Hunters, Dwarves can play Shamans and Gnomes gain access to Priests on the Alliance side.
Horde players gain Orc Mages, Troll Warlocks and Undead Paladins. Blizzard has already said more combinations are planned for later updates, although it has not revealed which pairings could come next.
Skyborne can join either faction
The new Skyborne race adds another major change to character creation. Players choose whether their Skyborne joins the Horde as a Windshaper or the Alliance as a member of the High Order, with each version receiving access to different classes.
Both versions can become Warriors, Hunters, Rogues or Druids. Alliance Skyborne can additionally become Mages, while Horde Skyborne can choose Shaman.
Blizzard is still refining the race before release, including recent visual changes to the Skyborne Druid forms. World of Warcraft: Forever launches for PC and Mac on November 4, with the ongoing beta giving Blizzard more time to adjust the new racial abilities before they reach the live game.
World of Warcraft: Forever
World of Warcraft: Forever is an invitation to take your first steps in a legendary world of untamed frontiers, warring factions, untold perils, and unseen mysteries. Experience an Azeroth that grows from the roots of WoW’s first age, continually evolving through regular content
Released
November 4, 2026
Developer
Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher
Blizzard Entertainment
Systems
PC
Xbox
PlayStation
Nintendo
Steam
GOG
Epic Games
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